Feeding device for threshing-machines.



D. LEWALLEN. FEEDING DEVICE FOR THRESHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20, 1913.

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FEEDING DEVICE FOR THRESHING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20, 1913.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

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D. LEWALLEN.

FEEDING DEVICE FOR THRESHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20, 1913.

Patented Dec/29,1914

D. LEWALLEN. v FEEDING DEVICE FOR THRESHING MACHINES.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 20, 1913,

Patented Dec. 1914.

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FEEDING DEVICE FOR TI-IRESHING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

Application filed June 20, 1913. SerialNo. 774,871.

To all in]: am. it may concern:

Be it known that I, D101; LEWALLEN, a citizen'of the United States, residing at Manhattan, in the county of Riley and State of 5 Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Feeding Devices for ThI'BSh. ing-Machines, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates to feeding devices for threshing machines, and it has particular reference to that type of feeding devices which are used for feeding loose or unbound grain. 1

One object of the invention'is to produce a simple and improved machine which may be situated between .two stacks of grain for the purpose of feeding simultaneously from the two stacks.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and improved construc-.

tion whereby the main frame of the machine, which is normally supported for transportation on wheel carrying trucks, may be lowered or adjusted so as to practically rest on the ground whereby it will be firmly supported when the machine is in operation.

A further object of the invention is to combine w 1th the main or supporting frame a vertically movable track frame and simple and improved means whereby said track frame may be elevated to a starting position and lowered gradually by a step by step movement as the operation-progresses, means being also provided for gaging the extent of movement.

A further ob ect of the invention consists I in the provision of a reciprocatory carriage traveling on the track frame and having stack engaging devices for conveying the 4 grain from the stack to another carriersupported by the main frame, and whereby said grain is in turn conveyed over the elevating carrier to the threshing machine.

Still further objects of the invention are to simplify and improve the various structural details of the machine.

\Vith these :nd other ends in view which will readily appear as the i'rature of the invention is better understood, the same conconstruction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been preferred form of that no limitation is'necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited,

but that changes, alterations and modifica-' tions within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired. V

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with the invention, showing the main frame lowered in position for operation. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a.

transverse sectional detail View taken through the track frame on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2, and showing the reciprocatory carriage in elevation, said figure being drawn to a larger scale. Fig. 4 is a sectionaldetail view, also enlarged, taken on the line 44 in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of one end'of the main frame. Fig. 6 is an end view in elevation'of the parts shown in Fig. 5. Fig.7 is a sectionaldetail view taken on the line 7-7 in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a sectional detail view taken on. the line 8-8 in Fig. 6 to show the escapement device. Fig. 9 is a detail plan view of a worm gear and pinion used in connection with the device. Fig. 10 is a detail view in elevation of the shifting rod and related parts. Fig. 11 is a horizontal sectional detail view of one of the corner uprights of the main frame, showing a per tion of the track frame connected therewith. Fig 12 is a sectional detail view taken onthe line 12-12 in Fig. 4. Fig. 13

is a sectional detail view taken on the line tail view taken on the line 141-L in Fig. 1.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference. The main frame of the improved machine includes in its construction four corner posts or uprights 15 which are suitably connected together near their upper and lower ends by side bars 16 and end bars 16' to form a substantially rectangular height to be used in connection with tall stacks of grain and of a length whichwill enable large stacks to be operated upon, the length being in excess of the height, as will be understood by reference to Fig. 1, where parts have been broken out intermediate the ends of the frame structure. The frame srtucture is also relatively narrow so that it rear trucks 17, 18, said trucks being su ported on wheels 19, 20. The wheels of t e frame of suitable meshing with a worm28 on a shaft 29 havfront truck are designed to swing" beneath the truck for convenience in turning; the wheels of the rear truck may be.con'nected up to a steering rod 21, having a hand wheel 22 .for convenience in steering the machine while being transported. The front and rear trucks 'a re'each provided with vertical guides 23 for the main --frame,'ea'ch ofsaid guides supporting a shaft 24 carrying pinions 25 in mesh with racks 26 on the mainframe. Each of the shafts 24 also carries a gear 27 ing a crank 30 whereby it may be rotated. It will be observed that by operating the worm carrying shafts 29 the shafts 24 at the two ends'of theframe may be rotated "independently, thereby enabling the main frame to be raised or lowered, as may be desired. The adjustment of thetwo ends being independent, it is obvious that it may be accommodated to uneven ground so that the main frame may be setin a level position when the front and rear trucks are" at different elevations. The main purpose in providing this adjustment is to enable the main frame to be raised or lowered for transportation and lowered so as to rest on the ground when the feeding device is in operation. In Fig. 1' of the drawings the main frame has been shown supported on level ground, the corner postsor uprights 15 being slightly extended downwardly below the lower side rails 16 so as'to form ground engaging feet. It is obvious that if the ground is not quite level, the main frame may be propped, wedged or supported in any suitable manner to maintain 1t .in an upright and level. position while in operation.

' The uprights 51- corner posts of the main.

frame preferably consist of I-beams, as seen clearly in Fig. 11 of the drawings. Supported for vertical movement on said corner posts is a track frame 31 which may be stan-tially level position'and enabling it to move freely upwardly and downwardly, as

the cables are beingwound upon or unwound from the drum.

The drumcarrying' shaft 33 is provided at-one endwith 'a' spur wheel 34 meshing with a pinion 35' which is loose on a shaft 36, said pinion being adapted to be driven by means including a clutch 37 for the purpose of transmitting motion "to the drum. The shaft 36flis connected by bevel gearing 38 with a counter shaft 39 carrying a gear wheel 40 meshing with a worm or spiral 41 l on a disk 42 carried by av vertical tubular .shaft 43 supported for rotation on a shaft The shaft 44 carries at its upper end one member 45 of a centrifugal friction clutch of conventional construction, the other member of which, 46, is carried by the tubular shaft 43. The shaft 44 carries at its lower end a bevel gear 47 me'shingwith abevel gear 48 on the main driven shaft 49 which carries a belt wheel or pulley 50 adapted to receive'iiiotion from the threshing machine in connection with which the feeder is used or from some other suitable source of power. It will be seen that by the means described, motion may be transmitted from the main driven shaft to the drum 34 for the purpose of rotating the latter to wind the cables 35 thereon-in order to move the track frame 31in an upward direction 1 on the main frame structure, the transmission means including the clutch 37 which may be'thrown to an inactive position automatically by means to bepresently described.

The clutch37 may be actuated by means 1 of a shipping lever 51 which is in the nature of a bell crank, one arm of which is provided with an extension 52 lying in the path of the track frame 31 so as to be engaged by the latter when it approaches the top of the main supporting frame. frame approaches the limit of its upward movement, the shipping lever will be actu-;

ated to operate the clutch, thereby. releasing or disengaging the drum'from the hoisting mechanism without-interfering with the rotation of the shaft 36.

When the track The spur wheel 34 on'the drum carrying,

shaft meshes with a pinion 53 which is situated diametrically opposite-to the pinion .35, said pinion beingmounted on a shaft 54 which carries a plurality of escapement wheels or disks 55, each provided at its perimeter with ratchet teeth 56, but each of said wheels or disks having a different number of ratchet teeth. A counter shaft 57 is adjustably supported in bearings 58 in a ,position substantially parallel to the shaft 54, said counter shaft 57 being longitudinally slidable in its bearings where, however, it may be securedin adjusted position by means such as set screws 59. The shaft 57 carries an escapement lever 60 which by proper adjustment of the shaft may be placed in engagement with any one of'the disks '55,- said escapement lever being provided with teeth61, 62, one or the other of which will always be positioned in the path of the teeth-56 of the wheel 55 temporarily engaged by the escapement lever to co5perate'therewith. It will be seen that by rocking the escapement lever, the shaft carrying the escapement wheels may be permitted to rotate under the influence of the weight of the track frame which is supported by the flexible elements wound on the drum 34 Which is geared up to the shaft 54 carrying the escapement wheels. It will also be obvious that the-extent of the rotation will be determined by the number of teeth on the individual escapementdisks. Thus, by shiftingthe position of the shaft 57 to place the escapement lever in engagement with one or the other of the escapement wheels, the extent of the gravitational downward move ment of the track frame at each step may be regulated. It is obvious that the numberof escapement wheels, as well as the number of teeth on each wheel, may be varied. For the purpose of checking the rotation to avoid a too sudden downward movement of the track frame any convenient friction brake mechanism may be employed. In the drawing a-bearing member 63 has been shown having screws 64 which frictionally engage one of the escapement wheels, but the construction and arrangement of the brake mechanism may be varied, and any convenient" well known mechanism may be employed for this purpose.

For the purpose of actuating the escapement lever 60, mechanism is provided including an arm'65 depending from one end of said leverand lying in the path of a contact plate 66 carried. by an arm 67 extend; ing from a shifting rod 68. Said rod is supported by means of cranks 69 on the main frame structure in such a manner that movement of the said rod laterally in any direction will serve at the same time to lift or elevate the rod bodily, thus causing the contact plate 66 to. engage the arm 65 of the escapement lever, thereby tripping the latter, thusthrowing the tooth 61' out of engagement with the tooth 56 of the escapement disk engaged thereby and placing the tooth 62 in the path," of the next succeeding tooth 56, permitting the escapement disk to. make a partial rotation; a retracting spring 70 for the escapement lever is provided for the purpose of restoring the latter to its initial position after being tripped by the contact plate, thus releasing the tooth 56 of the escapement wheel thatwas intercepted by-the tooth 62 and permitting it to pass into engagement with the tooth 61 of the escapement lever, thereby completing the partial rotation of the escapement wheel. whichconstitutes one step of the movement.

Supported for rotation in suitable bearings adiacent toone 'corner of the main frame structure is a vertical shaft 71, said shaft being of non-circular cross section, and said shaft being provided at its upperv ,end with a bevel gear 79. meshing with a bevel gear 73 0n the shaft 36 through which it derives motion from the main. driven shaft 49 which carries the belt wheel 50. The vertically movable track frame 31 carries a bracket or bearing member 74- equipped with sleeves 75 surrounding and slidablyengaging the non-circular shaft 71.

A. bevel gear 76 which is interposed between the bearing sleeves 75 engages the noncircular shaft 71 and is rotatable therewith while free to slide thereon, as will. be readily understood. The bracket 74: also supports one of the bearings 77 of a shaft 78 that extends longitudinally of the traclrframe adjacent to one side thereof, the other end of the shaft 7 8 being supported in a bearing 79 adjacent to the opposite end of the frame. The shaft 78 carries a bevel gear 80 meshing rith the bevel gear 7 6 on the shaft 71 from which motion will thus be transmitted to the shaft 78 in any position occupied by the track frame. The shaft T8, as will be best seen in Fig. 3, is ofnon-circular cross section throughout the greater portion of its length.

A reciprocatory carriage C is mounted to move longitudinally of the track frame 31. said carriage being provided with supporting wheels 81. The carriage supports about midwa of its length a revoluble drum 82 on which is partly wound a flexible element, such as a. cable 33, the ends of 'which are secured upon the ends of the track frame, as indicated at 84. It will be seen that by rotating the drum 8?. one end portion of the cable 3 will be wound upon, while the other end portion will be unwound from said drum, and the carriage will thus be caused to travel alongthe track frame, the direction of travel being governed by the direction in which the drum is rotated. For the purpose of rotating the drum and of changing the direction of rotation, the drum is provided with a bevel gear 85 meshing with opposed bevel gears 86, 86 which are loosely mounted for rotation on a shaft 87 supported in bearing brackets 88 on the carriage, see Fig. 4. The beveled gears 86, 86' are provided with clutch members 89, 89 adapted to be engaged by a clutch sleeve 90 which is slidab le on and rotatable with the shaft 87. said clutch sleeve being operable by a shipping lever 91 which is fulcrumed on the carriage. It will be seen that by placing the clutch sleeve in engagementAwith one or the-other of the clutch members 89, 89' the direction of rotation of the drum 82 may be regulated,

, said drum deriving motion-from the shaft 87, as will be readily understood. It will be further seen that by placing the clutch sleeve 90 in intermediate norr engaging position with respect to the clutch members.

the rotation of the drum may be discontinned, while the shaft 87 continues to The shaft 87 is constantly driven volve. from the non-circular shaft 78 when the ma- I ad ustments.

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chine is in operation by means of a pinion 92 slidable upon and rotatable with the shaft 78 and transmitting motion through a spur Wheel 93 to the shaft87. The carriage 'is-provided at opposite sides thereof with brackets 94 on which conveyor frames 95 are pivotally supported, said conveyer frames being equipped with endless conveyers including belts or aprons 96 having transverse slats 97 provided with teeth 98. The endless conveyors are guided over shafts 99 on which the conveyor frames are pivotally supported; one of said shafts, 99, is driven by means of a chain 100 from a. counter shaft 101 having a'spur wheel 102 meshing with the pinion 92 on the non-cir-.

cular shaft 78. The conveyer shaft 99 at the oppositeside of the carriage is driven by means of a chain 103 from a counter shaft 104: which derives motion by means of a chain 105 from a sprocket wheel 106 on the shaft 87, said chain 105 extending transversely across the carriage, as best seen in Fig. 2.

. Connected with the free ends of-the conveyer frame 95 are the bifurcated ends 107 of cables 108, the opposite ends of which are connected with and wound upon drums 109 whereby the free ends of the conveyer frames may be raised and lowered to various Supported on the track frame adjacent to the ends thereof are levers 110, 110, the oppositely extending arms of which are con-,

.members 117 are suitably associated with the track frame with respect to which said stdpnnembers are also adjustable, said stop members being disposed in the path of the shipping lever 91 which actuates the clutch member 90, the position of which will thus be reversed whenever the carriage approaches thel mit of its movement 1n either direction.

Supported (nintht: bottom portion of the main frame structure and operating lengthwise thereof is an endless conveyor 118, said conveyor being disposed in an approximately horizontal plane. An elevating convcyer 119 is supported in a frame 120 at one end of the main frame structure, said ele-' rating conveyor being arranged to. receive material from the conveyer 118 for the purpose of elevating the same and delivering it to the threshing machine. Clhe'conveyers 118, 119 are driven by intermediate earing V 121 from the, lower end of the shaft I 1, motion being also transmitted from such intermediate gearing'by means of a belt or band 122 to a feed cylinder 123 having radially #1 extending teeth 124 and which serves to assist in transferring the loose grain from the conveyer 118 to the conveyer 119. Extending longitudinally of the conveyer casing 120 are reslhent guard bars 125 which in practice serve to prevent the loose grain' from being blown off from the carrier or conveyer 119.

In the operation of this device, the machine is driven betweenthe stacks which are to be fed to the threshing machine, and the main supporting frame is lowered to rest on theground or practically so. In order to move the track frame to the upper end of the-mainsupporting frame motion is trans-' mitted from the source of power to the band .wheel and thence through the intermediate mechanism including the Worm or spiral 4-1 and the gear wheel 40 on the shaft 39 to the shaft 36which, the clutch 37 being set in active position, will transmit motion to the drum 34 on which the cables 35 will be wound, thus'liftingor elevating the track frame and the carriage until the track frame strikes the depending armv 52 of the shipping lever 51, thereby throwing the clfutch out of gear. hile this operation is in progress,

the teeth 56 of the escapement wheel engaging the escapement lever willpass idly overthe tooth 61 of said lever. lVhen the clutch 37 is thrown by the shipping lever 51, the escapement device will serve to sup-- port the track frame in'its elevated position, it being understood that the clutch 37 remains out of commission until the ship ping lever is reset manually. hen the clutch is disengaged, the spur wheel35 will no longer resist the reverse rotation of the drum caused by the weight of the track frame and the parts supported thereon, the dropping of the track frame being resisted only by the escapement device. It will, furthermore, be understood that during the period that the track frame is being elevated, the clutch member should occupy a neutral position between the clutch members: 89, 89 so that while. rotary..motion is transmitted from the shaft 71 throughthe transmission means including theshaft 78. to the shaft 87, the carriage will remain stationary on :17

the track frame. because the drum 82 will not be actuated. To start the carriage after the desired elevation has been attained. iii-1S onlv necessarr to move the sin iin lever 91 to one side or another, thereby placing the clutch member 90 in.engage'ment with either one of the clutch members 89, 89", but before this is done, the conveyer frames at the two sides of the carriage are adjusted ,so as to cause the endless conveyers including the members 26 and the slats 27 to rest on top of the two stacks over which they taining such veyer, whereby said material is transferred to the elevating carrier 119. WVhile the conveyers supported in the frames 95 are operated in this manner, being set at any desired inclination, the carriage will reciprocate upon the track, rope 83 wound on the drum 82, which latter being actuated by the will be'alternately rotated in opposite directions by the means provlded for the purpose and ncluding the clutch members 89,

89 and the clutch sleeve 90, the position of the latter being changed by the shipping lever 91 whenever the latter is engaged by one of the stop members 117. Whenever the carriage approaches the limit of its prescribed movement, the member 116 will engage one of the stops 115, thereby imparting a rocking movement to the levers 110, the arm 113 of one of which carries the clip 114 engaging thus be moved in an upward direction until the stop member or plate 66 engages the arm 65 depending from theescapement lever 60,- tripping the latter with the result of causing the track frame to be gravitationally lowered to the extent of one step ofredetermined length. a

I aving thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. In a device of the class supporting frame, a track frame vertically movable thereon, a reci rocatory carriage on said track frame, en les's carriers associated with and extending laterally from the carriage, means for elevating the track frame by a continuous uninterrupted-movement, means for automatically stopping the track frame at the upward limit of its movement, and means including an escapement device for causing the frame to descend gravitationally by an intermittent step by step movement.

2. In a device of the class described, a supporting frame, a track frame vertically movable thereon, means for elevating the track frame to a starting position, means for interrupting the upward movement of the track frame when the starting position is reached, means including an escapement device for causing the track frame to descend escapement device for the shifting rod 68, which will described, a

V ture in presence of gravitationally by an mtermittent step by step movement, a carriage mounted for reciprocation on the track frame, and means actuated by the carriage escapement device at the limits of the movement of the carriage.

3'. In a device of he class described, a main frame structure, a track frame vertically movable thereon, means including an lowering the track frame 'gravitationally'by an intermittent step by step movement, a carriage mounted for reciprocation on the track frame, means actuated by the carriage for tripping the escapement device at the limits of the movement of the carriage in either direction, operating means for the carriage, reversing means for said operating means including a clutch and a shipping lever, and means for actuating the shipping lever on the completion of the, movement of the carriage in either direction. 1. In a device of the class described, a main supporting frame, a track frame 'vertically movable thereon, a carriage mounted for reciprocation on the track frame, elevating means for the track frame, means includingan escapement device for lowering the track frame, operating means for the carriage, reversing means for said operating means, an endless carrier hingedly connected with and extending laterally from the carriage, operating means fomsaid carrier, an endless carrier extending longitudinally of the main frame structure in the lower portion thereof, an elevating carrier adjacent to one end thereof, and operating means for said last mentioned endless and elevating carriers.

5. In a device of the class described, a main frame structure, a track frame vertically movable thereon, a carriage mounte for reciprocation on thetrack'frame, endless carrying' means hingedly associated with the carriage, an endless carrier disposed lon itudinally in the main "rame structure, an elevating carrier adjacent to one-end thereof, and operating means-for the moving parts of the device including a driven vertical shaft adjacent to one corner of the main frame structure, said shaft being of non-circular cross section, and means for transmitting motion from said non-circular shaft to the moving parts associated with the track frame in various positions of the latter.

In testimony whereof I affix my signatwo witnesses. DICK LEWALLEN. Witnesses:

J ULIUS E. KAMMnYnn, G120. W. PAcKnR, Jr.

the lower part of for tripping the 

